The May Day Challenge

The May Day Challenge is finished, and just in the nick of time!

 If you’ll remember, on May first, I was inspired by the verse in Matthew that challenges us to be secret givers.  So, I gave each child a May Day basket filled with trinkets, candy, and a five dollar bill tucked into an envelope with this simple poem :

But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything,will reward you.”
                                                                                                          -Matthew 6:3

Though I designed the May Day Challenge as a lesson for my children, the Lord used three “left hands” in to teach me a few lessons of my own. 

When Andromeda was eight years old, her family moved into a truly dismal apartment outside Colorado Springs. 


For starters, there was a terrible leak from the upstairs apartment that caused atrocious mold.  There was always an unhealthy dampness surrounding Andromeda and her brothers.  But when mushrooms actually began growing out of the carpet in one of the bedrooms, her mother, Whitney, decided to abandon the room altogether.


And when the stove broke, they just had to cook using a coffee pot to heat water and a hot plate to warm food. Eating out just wasn’t in the budget.  She was already paying $575 a month for rent– which is about half the monthly pay for a full-time minumum wage worker.


For families who have to spend so much of their income on housing, there’s next to nothing left for other essentials like food and health care, or to save for the future.  They become trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty. Even with two jobs, Andromeda’s mom couldn’t find another apartment she could afford to rent.


Families living so close to the edge are especially vulnerable… and perhaps just one illness or accident away from homelessness. But Habitat for Humanity has a uniquely effective formula that has arleady helped more than one million people escape poverty housing…


The letter continued with a brief description of Habitat for Humanity’s process and a simple plea for monetary help. It explained how Habitat had extended to Whitney’s family the opportunity to live in a safe home of their own. They had qualified for a no-profit loan, had made a modest down payment and had invested several hundred hours of “sweat equity” labor in the construction of their own house and the houses of other families in need of decent shelter.


“It’s not free” says Whitney, “It’s a lot of work and dedication and time. For me personally, I wouldn’t want it any other way… “


With housing costs that are affordable for low-income families, Whitney no longer has to choose between putting food on the table and paying rent. Andromeda’s family is now lifting themselves out of poverty. There is one more wonderful result of the helping hand Andromeda’s family received from Habitat partners.


You see, one of her brothers has Down syndrome and Whitney adds, “He could live with me forever. Now I know that I’m going to have a home that will be here for him. It’s an incredible thing.”


The letter ended with this simple question: How many more families throughout the country and around the owrld are hoping and praying right now- for just a spark of hope to boost their spirits? By joining us in partnership today, you can help families like Andromeda’s celebrate the simple joy of living in a safe, decent, and affordable Habitat home!

A list followed:

• $15 can help purchase a 50-pound box of nails to finish a Habitat house
• $20 could help purchase roofing material
• $35 can help pay for a kitchen sink.

When I finished reading the letter, we talked candidly about how quickly we take our own home for granted.  We discussed how skewed our perspective can become living in an affluent community that is filled with grandiose homes.  We talked about what it might be like growing up in a home that didn’t even provide shelter from the rain and we had a lively discussion about mold 🙂

Grateful that my kids had paused to count their own blesings, I cleared the dishes as they headed to the yard to play.

That night, as Lizzy lay in bed, she said, “Mom, I know my left hand isn’t supposed to let my right hand know what it’s doing, but can my left hand invite other hands to join me?”

 I giggled at the confusing but earnest question. “Well, honey, I think God loves it when we invite others to join us in generosity, as long as our hearts are humble.”

Lizzy was quiet for a moment. Then mused, “If Luke and Hannah and I all put our May Day money together, we could help buy a big box of nails for a Habitat house. That would be SO COOL.”

The next morning, I casually set the Habitat for Humanity envelope on the breakfast table and tried not to spy on the left hands under my roof. By evening, it was filled with three crisp five dollar bills.

As I placed the pre-addressed envelope in the mailbox, I humbly realized that the May Day Challenge had been more for my own good than for my children’s. So often, when I am invited to partner with charities, I feel overwhelmed at the immense needs that span our globe. I feel guilty if I can’t give to every good cause and cynical if I have only a meager amount to give. I often struggle with that age-old despair that laments, “What can I do? I can’t help EVERYONE!”

And yet my children’s enthusiastic response reminded me that giving always makes a difference. My kids didn’t respond with apathy; nor guilt. They did not lament their inability to help fund a kitchen sink; they simply rejoiced in the privilege of purchasing a box of nails. With cheerful left hands, they gave with confidence, fully expecting God to do BIG THINGS with their small offering.

May we do the same!

Today’s Treasure: 
Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  – 2Corinthians 9:7